INFORMATION LITERACY SKILLS, TEACHERS’ SELF-EFFICACY AND USE OF INFORMATION RESOURCES BY SECONDARY SCHOOL TEACHERS IN SELECTED SECONDARY SCHOOLS IN IJEBU ODE LOCAL GOVERNMENT, OGUN STATE.

This study examined the information literacy skills, self-efficacy and use of information resources by secondary school teachers in selected secondary schools in Ijebu ode local government, Ogun state. Descriptive survey research design was adopted for this study. Total enumeration technique was used in selecting the respondents for the research. A validated, self-designed and close-ended questionnaire was used as the instrument in gathering data from the respondents. Descriptive statistics (frequency, percentage, mean) and Pearson Product Moment Correlation (PPMC) were used to analyze the data gathered through questionnaire. Findings revealed that the major information literacy skills possessed by teachers are using electronic information resources, evaluating WWW sources and using internet search tools (such as search engines, directories). The major information resources that are available to teachers are reference books, internet facilities and online resources, textbooks, dissertation / thesis / projects, journals and conference proceedings / papers. The information resources mostly used by the teachers are internet facilities, online resources, textbooks journals, newspapers / magazines and conference proceedings / papers. It was also revealed that there is low level of self-efficacy among teachers in selected secondary schools. The major problems affecting the use of information resources by teachers by the teachers are slow connection speed, constant power outage and lack of update and current resource. Further, there is significant relationship between information literacy skills and use of information resources among teachers. Also, there is no significant relationship between self-efficacy and use of information resources among teachers. Based on the findings, it was recommended that school management should provide adequate supply of power that will smoothly run the academic activities; government should provide adequate funds for the building of capital projects in the public universities such as ICT centers where students and teachers can have free access and use of electronic information resources. Adequate internet facilities should be provided to ameliorate the issue of slow connection speed as one of the problems stated in the findings

RESEARCH COMPETENCE OF POSTGRADUATE STUDENTS IN LIBRARY SCHOOLS IN SOUTH-WEST, NIGERIA.

Research is an activity that brings about new discoveries and in order to perform it, competence is required. However, studies on research competence are a seldom area that needs more attention. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to investigate the research competence of postgraduate students in library schools in South-west, Nigeria. The peculiarity of this study is that research competence was sub-divided into three (3) different areas comprising: research knowledge, research skills, and research attitude. Descriptive survey research design was adopted for the study. The study covered one hundred and sixty-one (161) library and information science postgraduate students in South-west, Nigeria and a total enumeration technique was adopted for this study to cover the total population size. Questionnaire was used as the instrument in collecting data from the respondents. The data collected were analyzed using frequency distribution table and percentage. The study found that level of research competence possessed by the postgraduate students in library schools in South-west, Nigeria is high. Also, results from the study showed that research skills have the highest mean value and standard deviation (=41.15; std dev. = 12.863); followed by research knowledge (=39.34; std dev. = 11.641) and lastly research attitude (=32.59; std dev. = 10.785). The study also found out that the research competence possessed by the postgraduates’ students in library schools in South-west, Nigeria includes: ability to define a research problem, knowing how to formulate research questions/hypotheses, they know how to develop conceptual model for my study, they know how to explain the significance of the study, they know how to formulate research objectives, etc. The study concluded that postgraduate needs to have a positive attitude towards research. Also, lecturers are advised to develop new method of teaching research method

Keeping Products of Higher Educational Institutions (HEIs) of Relevance to the Industry: A Reason to Stay in Touch with Alumni

This paper aims to show how important it is for Higher Educational Institutions (HEIs) to be involved in the Continuous Professional Development (CPD) of alumni. The authors provide a model to show the value added to the product by CPD. This paper proposes ways in which institutions can make the best of the relationship with the student at each level proposed in the model. The major findings were that HEIs should get involved in CPD for its Alumni and CPD provides increased value to products of HEIs. Implications were that HEIs have a role to play in the CPD of their Alumni.  This is the first study to introduce the Value- Adding CPD Knowledge Cycle Model. Keywords: HEI, Products, CPD, Students, Graduates, Alumn

Perceived nexus between non-invigilated summative assessment and mental health difficulties: A cross sectional studies

The COVID-19 pandemic rapidly led to changes in the mode of teaching, learning and assessments in most tertiary institutions worldwide. Notably, non-invigilated summative assessments became predominant. These changes heightened anxiety and depression, especially among individuals with less resilient coping mechanism. We explored the perceptions and experiences of mental health difficulties of students in tertiary education regarding non-invigilated alternative assessments in comparison to invigilated assessments. A pragmatic, mixed method cross sectional design was conducted online via Qualtrics. Thematic analysis of text was carried out using NVivo 12. In the quantitative analysis, univariable and multivariable ordinal logistic models were used to examine the potential factors for preference among students in higher education. A total of 380 Nursing and Social Science students responded to the survey. Approximately 77% of students perceived non-invigilated assessments to be less stressful compared to invigilated exams. Age, course of study, stage of studies, and number of units enrolled per semester were identified as significant drivers for students’ perceived preference for non-invigilated assessments. There was an inverse relationship between the perception of stress associated with invigilated exams and the age of students. For instance, students aged between 18-24 were 5 times more likely to prefer non-invigilated exams compared to those aged 55 or more. Comparatively, students in early stages of studies had higher preference for non-invigilated assessments. However, there was a preference reversal for students enrolled in 2 or less units per semester. Social sciences students were two times more likely to prefer non-invigilated examinations to invigilated examinations compared to nursing students. The findings reinforce the use of alternative assessments in higher education as a mitigating agency to lessen the mental health burden of tertiary students in post COVID-19 era

Impact of You Only Live Once: A resilience-based HIV prevention intervention to reduce risky sexual behaviour among youth in South Africa

Purpose: Interventions focused on promoting resilience or protective factors of youth have been proposed as a strategy for reducing risky behaviours associated with HIV infection among youth; however few studies have explored their effectiveness. This study assessed the impact of a resilience-based HIV prevention intervention (You Only Live Once) on risky sexual behaviours, resilience and protective factors of youth. Methods: A one-group pretest-posttest design was used. One hundred and ninety-seven youth aged 15 – 24 years were conveniently recruited from a non-profit organisation in Maluti-a-Phofung Local Municipality, South Africa and participated in a 12-session, resilience-based HIV intervention delivered over a 1-week period by trained adult facilitators. Outcomes of interest were assessed at baseline and 3-month follow-up using validated risky sexual behaviour measures, and Child and Youth Resilience Measure. Mixed effect logistic and linear regression models were formulated to assess the impact of the intervention on risky sexual behaviours; resilience and protective factors respectively. Results: Compared to baseline, participants at 3-month follow-up were 68 % less likely to have unprotected sex, 22 % less likely to regret their decision to engage in sexual activity and 0.4 % less likely to be pregnant or made someone pregnant. Conversely, participants at the 3-month follow-up had a higher propensity to engage in multiple sexual partnerships, transactional sex and intergenerational sex than baseline. Participants at 3-month follow-up had significant improvements in their scores of resilience, individual capacities and contextual factors that facilitate a sense of belonging (p \u3c 0.05). Conclusion: You Only Live Once intervention appeared to have mitigated some risky sexual behaviours, and improved resilience and protective factors over a 3-month period. These findings suggest that the intervention has ability to reduce risky sexual behaviours associated with HIV, and improve resilience and protective factors among youth in South Africa. Further evaluation of the intervention with a rigorous study design, larger sample size and longer period for follow-up is warranted

The psychosocial impact of rare diseases among children and adolescents attending mainstream schools in Western Australia

Living with a long-term medical condition is associated with heightened risk for mental health and psychosocial difficulties, but further research is required on this risk for children and adolescents with a rare disease in the educational setting. The aim of this study is to describe parents’ perceptions of the psychosocial impact of rare diseases on their school-aged children in Western Australia. A cross-sectional survey of 41 parents of school-aged children and adolescents diagnosed with a rare disease completed an online questionnaire. Questions related to their perceptions of health-related stigma, bullying, social competencies and mental health difficulties faced by their child. Results showed that stigmatisation was experienced by 75.6% of participants, and almost half (46.4%) reported their child was bullied. In this sample, parents reported high sensory (vision and hearing) abilities, but low to moderate self-care competence in relation to social activities and peer relations. Almost half of the respondents (43.9%) reported mental health difficulties among their children. Children and adolescents with a rare disease have unique psychological and social issues. These findings highlight the need for greater efforts to meet the diverse psychosocial, physical and emotional needs of children diagnosed with a rare disease who attend mainstream schools in Western Australia

Effect Of Stocking Density On Survival And Body Composition Of Nile Tilapia (Oreochromis Niloticus) Fed MULTI Feed And NIOMR Feed In Semi Flow-Through Culture System.

This study was carried out to investigate the growth response and body composition of Nile tilapia; O. niloticusto two feed type: MULTI feed (foreign) and NIOMR feed (local) of 32% and 44% crude protein (CP)respectively at three stocking densities 158, 237 and 316/m3 in semi-flow through culture system. Theexperiments were conducted in two phases in succession using twelve (12) circular fibre glass tanks stocked withmixed sex fingerlings of Nile tilapia of average weight of 6.8g at the three stocking densities and cultured for aperiod of 24 weeks. The result of the study showed significantly (P < 0.05) highest growth, feed conversion andsurvival rate in treatment II (MULTI feed at 158 fish/m3) while significantly lowest growth rate and feedconversion was recorded in treatment V. The lowest survival rate (94.02%) was recorded in treatment VI. Interms of the proximate composition of the Nile tilapia fed the experimental diets; treatments that were fed withMulti feed (II, IV, and VI) showed higher values than fish fed with NIOMR diet (I, III, and V) at equivalentstocking densities at the end of the trial. All water quality parameters are within the acceptable and suitable rangefor proper growth of O. niloticus. Based on the overall growth performance; treatment II at stocking density of158 fish/m3 fed Multi feed is recommended.Keywords: Nile tilapia, stocking density, growth performance, body composition, flow-through system

Future Climate Change Impacts on River Discharge Seasonality for Selected West African River Basins

The changing climate is a concern to sustainable water resources. This study examined climate change impacts on river discharge seasonality in two West African river basins; the Niger river basin and the Hadejia-Jama’are Komadugu-Yobe Basin (HJKYB). The basins have their gauges located within Nigeria and cover the major climatic settings. Here, we set up and validated the hyper resolution global hydrological model PCR-GLOBWB for these rivers. Time series plots as well five performance evaluation metrics such as Kling–Gupta efficiency (KGE),); the ratio of RMSE-observations standard deviation (RSR); per cent bias (PBIAS); the Nash–Sutcliffe Efficiency criteria (NSE); and, the coefficient of determination (r2), were employed to verify the PCR-GLOBWB simulation capability. The validation results showed from satisfactory to very good on individual rivers as specified by PBIAS (−25 to 0.8), NSE (from 0.6 to 0.8), RSR (from 0.62 to 0.4), r2 (from 0.62 to 0.88), and KGE (from 0.69 to 0.88) respectively. The impact assessment was performed by driving the model with climate projections from five global climate models for the representative concentration pathways (RCPs) 4.5 and 8.5. We examined the median and range of expected changes in seasonal discharge in the far future (2070–2099). Our results show that the impacts of climate change cause a reduction in discharge volume at the beginning of the high flow period and an increase in discharge towards the ending of the high flow period relative to the historical period across the selected rivers. In the Niger river basin, at the Lokoja gauge, projected decreases added up to 512 m3/s under RCP 4.5 (June to July) and 3652 m3/s under RCP 8.5 (June to August). The three chosen gauges at the HJKYB also showed similar impacts. At the Gashua gauge, discharge volume increased by 371 m3/s (RCP8.5) and 191 m3/s (RCP4.5) from August to November. At the Bunga gauge, a reduction/increase of -91 m3/s/+84 m3/s (RCP 8.5) and -40 m3/s/+31 m3/s/(RCP 4.5) from June to July/August to October was simulated. While at the Wudil gauge, a reduction/increase in discharge volumes of −39/+133 m3/s (RCP8.5) and −40/133 m3/s (RCP 4.5) from June to August/September to December is projected. This decrease is explained by a delayed start of the rainy season. In all four rivers, projected river discharge seasonality is amplified under the high-end emission scenario (RCP8.5). This finding supports the potential advantages of reduced greenhouse gas emissions for the seasonal river discharge regime. Our study is anticipated to provide useful information to policymakers and river basin development authorities, leading to improved water management schemes within the context of changing climate and increasing need for agricultural expansion

Interactive Effect of Score Levels on Students’ Performance in Social Studies

Perkembangan teknologi di era modern dapat membantu guru belajar tentang lingkungan belajar yang kolaboratif. Teknologi dapat memotivasi siswa dan memungkinkan mereka untuk terlibat pada tingkat yang sama sekali berbeda dari sebelumnya, itu juga meningkatkan pengalaman akademik siswa. Penelitian ini menguji pengaruh interaktif tingkat skor terhadap prestasi belajar IPS siswa. Pengujian data dalam penelitian ini dilakukan dengan uji ANOVA pada 29 SMP. Penelitian ini dilakukan dengan menguji pengaruh interaktif tingkat skor audio visual terhadap prestasi belajar siswa pada mata pelajaran IPS. Penelitian ini menggunakan metode penelitian eksperimen terhadap 21 siswa SMP yang dijadikan sampel untuk menguji audio visual. Temuan menetapkan bahwa audio-visual meningkatkan kinerja akademik siswa dalam studi sosial. Tidak ada pengaruh interaktif yang signifikan dari tingkat skor pada kinerja siswa dalam IPS. Studi ini menyimpulkan bahwa audio-visual meningkatkan kinerja studi sosial siswa terlepas dari tingkat skor mereka. Oleh karena itu direkomendasikan bahwa guru IPS harus didorong untuk menggunakan alat bantu audio-visual karena memberikan pembelajaran yang lebih bermakna bagi siswa. Selain itu, Pemerintah harus memperkerjakan guru yang berkualitas dan terampil untuk mengajar mata kuliah, dan perencana kurikulum harus berhati-hati dalam merancang materi untuk mengajar IPS. Kata Kunci: Efek Interaktif; Tingkat Skor; Audio-Visual; Prestasi Akademik Mahasiswa; Penelitian Sosial.   Abstract Technological developments in the modern era may help teachers learn about a collaborative learning environment. Technology can motivate students and allow them to be engaged on a completely different level than they have ever before. It also increases student academic experience. This study examined the interactive effect of score levels on students' social studies performance. The data testing in this study was carried out with the ANOVA test on 29 junior secondary schools. This research was conducted by examining the interactive effect of the audio-visual score level on students' academic achievement in social studies subjects. The study employs an experimental research method of these 21 junior secondary school students sampled to test the audio-visual. The findings established that audio-visual improves students' academic performance in social studies. There was no significant interactive effect of score levels on students' performance in social studies. The study concluded that audio-visual improves students' social studies performance irrespective of their score levels. It was thus recommended that social studies teachers be encouraged to use audio-visual aids as it gives more meaningful learning to students. Besides, the Government should employ qualified and well-skilled teachers to teach the course, and the curriculum planner must be careful in designing material to teach social studies